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COLTS CAMP NOTEBOOK
A RUNDOWN OF TODAY'S HAPPENINGS AT TRAINING CAMP
Intro: Saturday, August 4 is the eighth day of practice for the Colts at Anderson University. The 2012 training camp will run in Anderson until August 17.
Kevin Bowen
Colts.com
ANDERSON – Inclement weather in the morning and afternoon affected the Colts practices on Saturday as the first week of the 2012 training camp came to a close.
Early-morning rains forced the Colts indoors for their walk-through and severe weather in the afternoon stopped the 1:50 p.m. practice at approximately 3:30, before the Colts went back indoors to finish up the last hour of practice.
"We're not going to jeopardize anybody's safety, anybody's health, to get the work done," Head Coach Chuck Pagano said. "We started fast, we were having a great practice, spirited practice, but the guys did a great job. It's kind of like sudden change, 'Here we go, we've got something to deal with, a little adversity.' So we went inside took the pads off, put the shells on and finished up what we had to finish up."
For the short period of time the Colts were outside on Saturday, the players got their fair share of hitting in as full pads were back on this afternoon.
The offense quickly silenced the defense with three straight touchdown runs from the one-yard line to start the goal line drills.
Second-year running back Delone Carter and first-year back Darren Evans showed off the "physicality" that Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians is looking for in the running game by scoring goal-line touchdowns.
Those touchdown bursts however would be just about all of the highlights the offense had on the afternoon. Following the three scores, the defense then rattled off three straight stops.
Linebackers Moise Fokou and Greg Lloyd both took part in their first full practice as members of the Colts and Fokou made a couple of jarring hits during the goal-line drills.
"I was glad to see, number one, there was no ball on the ground. Ball security was good," Pagano said. "It was good to see both new linebackers that came in here from Philly, both guys made plays, so that was incredible."
The passing game did not have a major role in Saturday afternoon's practice but when the offense did throw, the defense was ready.
Linebacker Kavell Conner had an interception during the red zone portion of the practice and that was followed by safety Joe Lefeged recording a pick of his own in the end zone near the end of the session.
Quarterback Andrew Luck spoke after the morning walk-through on Saturday and was
pleased with how his first week in the NFL went.
He has been very sharp throughout the practices and said one thing he is trying to work on with his receivers is ball placement, to give his playmakers a chance to make a play after the catch.
"When you're throwing a ball behind a guy and yeah he makes a great, spectacular catch and the crowd goes, 'Ooh,' but you're sitting there watching the film after it's, 'Oh man, that's another 20 yards that you left on the field.' So that's something that I'm definitely focused on," Luck said.
"It's nice when you have Reggie (Wayne) and (Austin) Collie who say, 'When he's covering me like this, really the best ball is down low to the ground or up high,' so that's something we've been focused on."
With the playbook all but installed Luck and the offense will now spend their second week in Anderson fine-tuning things before the preseason opener on August 12 against the St. Louis Rams.
Luck said he has even picked the brain of some of the defenders to see if any of his tendencies are tipping off the defense on where he might be throwing the ball.
When asked about becoming a leader at the quarterback position, Luck was not big on talking about himself, but rather thanked his teammates for providing such an environment where it will be easy to lead when the time comes.
"I think the locker room has been very receptive, which is great as a young player to come into, I think, where you don't feel you have to force things and say certain things," Luck said. "As a quarterback, you know you're talking every play in the huddle, so you naturally assume some air of leadership, but it's a process. You've just got to build the trust, build the confidence."
NOTE OF THE DAY
To break down the end of the first week of camp on Saturday, the Colts welcomed kids from Huntington Camp Heroes into their post-practice huddle. Before signing autographs and tossing the football around with some of their favorite Colts players, the kids listened to Coach Pagano and defensive end Cory Redding say a few words.
"Basically I had each and every one of them hold up their thumb, and I had them look up at it and I asked them, 'What's special about that thumb?' One kid said, 'I don't know.' I said, 'That's the only thumb print in the world that you have. Each thumbprint is different and unique. God made every one of you unique and special. No matter what you're going through, if life gets you up or down, at the end of the day someone always wants you because you're so unique,' " Redding said.
PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS
The offense started off strongly in goal-line drills from the one-yard line. Running back Delone Carter scored to start off the 11-on-11 drill. However, the rest of the practice belonged to the defense. During the red zone portion of practice, linebacker Kavell Conner and Joe Lefeged each had interceptions.
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PLAYER QUOTE OF THE DAY
Offensive Tackle Anthony Castonzo on who the leader of the line is:
"I think we're all kind of leaders in the sense that there aren't one or two guys who are so far advanced. Last year, we had (Jeff) Saturday and (Ryan) Diem, who were clearly the veterans. They'd been around for plenty of years. This year, we're all coming together, and we move in our own ways."
COACH PAGANO SAYSHead Coach Chuck Pagano on the first week of the 2012 training camp:
"We've thrown a ton at them mentally. They've digested a bunch of information. I love where we're at on both sides of the ball. I love where we're at on special teams. We've got a long, long way to go, and they've bought into what we've talked about the whole time. We're taking this one day at a time, one meeting at a time, one practice at a time, one play at a time. We're doing a great job in the meeting room. We're coming out here in the walk-through and then they're putting it all together on the practice field, so we're pleased. We're all pleased where we're at."
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TRIVIA QUIZ
Saturday's Trivia Question: Former Colts running back Edgerrin James holds the franchise record for most consecutive games with more than 100 scrimmage yards in one season. Name the season he accomplished this feat and how many games he did it?
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WHO'S COVERING THE COLTS
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports was in Anderson on Saturday to take in practice. Also, Sam Pagano, the father of Coach Chuck Pagano, was in attendance on Saturday.
"Football's a great, great team sport and I was fortunate because of my dad to have the opportunity to grow up in the locker room, be around the guys, be around the coaches and watch them work so it's a special deal," Pagano said.
CAMP SCHEDULE
The Colts finished their second stretch of three straight two-a-days on Saturday afternoon. Sunday's schedule will look a little different with no morning walk-through. Sunday afternoon's practice will still be open to the public and is scheduled from 1:50-4:30 p.m.
WEATHER REPORT
After some rain overnight, overcast skies and muggy air greeted the players and fans for the first part of the afternoon practice on Saturday. Afternoon storms came around 3:45 p.m. and forced the remainder of practice inside. Showers are expected tomorrow morning but the forecast calls for the skies clearing by the afternoon with a high of 84 degrees.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Saturday's Trivia Question: Former Colts running back Edgerrin James holds the franchise record for most consecutive games with more than 100 scrimmage yards in one season. Name the season he accomplished this feat and how many games he did it?
Answer: In the 2005 season, James gained more than 100 yards rushing and receiving from Weeks 1-13. Running back Lydell Mitchell holds the franchise record with 16 straight games over 100 total yards, but his spanned over the 1975 and 1976 seasons.
